The conventional methods of grafting polymerizable monomers to various polymeric substrata (for example, polyolefines) generally use an activation phase of the substratum followed by a grafting phase of the polymerizable monomer on the active sites created on the substratum during the activation of the substratum can be effected in various ways, for example, by irradiation, by the action of ozones or peroxides, etc.; the monomer to be grafted is brought into contact with the activated substratum at relatively high temperature, i.e., in the order of 60.degree. to 80.degree.C.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,862 describes the grafting of polar monomers on olefine polymers by activating the polymers at ambient temperature by a system which comprises a boron trialkyl and oxygen. Afterward, the activated polymers are brought into contact with the monomers to be grafted at temperatures in the region of 60 to 100.degree.C. In addition to the difficulties to which the carrying out of the activation phase may lead, the use during the grafting phase of such high temperatures usually leads to a degradation of the substratum and to a lowering of the molecular weight and the regularity of the grafts. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art processes have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a process for obtaining a useful plastic consisting of monomers grafted onto polymers.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a process for grafting monomers to polymers with degradation of the polymers.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a method which effects in a single step the grafting of polymerizable monomers by a radical procedure on a variety of substrata, particularly polyolefines, wherein the operation takes place at low or moderate temperatures, without previous activation of the substratum.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of steps and the details of the composition hereafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.